"Athlete?" Buehrle responded, filling in the blank with the correct answer.

Buehrle might be soft around the middle, but few big-league pitchers move around and handle the leather as well as the Marlins' 33-year-old left-hander. On Saturday, he put his defensive skills on full display as the Marlins held on for a 5-3 victory over the Giants despite yet another ninth-inning crumble by closer Heath Bell.

He took a line drive to the gut, or "fat roll" as he put it.

He recorded an out by going down on all fours while covering first.

He deftly snared a one-hopper back to the mound and caught Angel Pagan in a rundown between second and third for another out.

No wonder Buehrle won three Gold Glove awards as the American League's top fielding pitcher when he was with the Chicago White Sox.